'The Predator' official trailer: Shane Black's reboot may mark a departure from the franchise's roots, but there's a catch!
The teaser trailer for Shane Black's much-awaited reimagining of the supremely popular 'Predator' franchise dropped this past May and provided audiences with a glimpse of what they can expect from the fourth installment of the series. Though littered with the fires, explosions, car flips, and action sequences that made its predecessors so successful, fans were left underwhelmed with what they perceived as poor casting choices and a nonsensical premise.
The events in 'The Predator' are set to take place between those of 'Predator 2' (1990) and 'Predators' (2010), with the story unfolding in the small-town streets of suburbia after Rory McKenna (Jacob Tremblay) inadvertently sets forth a chain of events that sees the fearsome predators find their way back to planet Earth. Except, this time, there's a catch.
An official description suggests that the universe's most lethal hunters have genetically upgraded themselves with the DNA from other species and, on Earth, they're thirsty for the DNA of the only species that has managed to best them so far.
Because of how the teaser was stitched together, focusing, for the most part, on fast-paced, blood-pumping action, fans were left a little disillusioned by what they felt was a departure from the franchise's roots — the initial 'Predator' movies retained their intensity and suspense because of how it played on the audience's minds with a fear of the unknown; they snuck around, never revealing their identity. It was apparent from the teaser that 'The Predator' is most certainly going to be a lot more 'in-your-face,' comparison to its predecessors, which may not necessarily be a bad thing, considering the success Black managed to eke out of 'Iron Man 3' with a similar formula.
The cast, which consists of the likes of Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Sterling K Brown, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Munn, and Alfie Allen, while not lacking the star power, seemed an odd fit for such a movie. Considering how 'Alien vs Predator' (2004), 'Alien vs Predator: Requiem' (2007), and 'Predators' (2010) were received fairly poorly, there was always going to be this latent hope that 'The Predator' banishes those demons.
A third aspect that many took issue with was, as mentioned previously, the premise. The well-known lore on the predators is that they're a warrior species that view all others as inferior to their superior genetic traits and kill for the lust of it. So, why then is it that they are now on a quest to infuse their DNA? 20th Century Fox has been accused in the past of rushing remakes in search of a big payday, and all the signs in the teaser seemed to indicate that 'The Predator' was going to fall prey to Fox's greed.
But Fox has now released the official trailer for the film, and unlike the teaser, the 2.5 minute-long showcase for 'The Predator' has some redeeming qualities. The fate of the planet is now in the hands of 'a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled science teacher,' with audiences getting a closer look at the franchise's newest heroes. The soldiers' camaraderie was one of the talking points of the new trailer, and while the rest of the movie does not look quite up to scratch, their interactions look to be a guaranteed source of entertainment.
The trailer also addresses fans' concerns that the predators are a little too one-dimensional this time around by introducing a predator supreme. This so-called crème de la crème of their species that has little regard even for its own kind and is the ultimate killing machine. How will humanity's finest deal with this all-encompassing threat to their existence? Hopefully, with a little more nuance than a cliched, overused ending that everyone can see coming from a mile away.
Until its release, and for some time after, 'The Predator' will be relentlessly compared with those that preceded it. Upon release in 1987, the success of 'Predator' saw it spawn the film franchise we know today, as well as novel, comic book, and video game spin-offs. There was also a crossover between the titular characters in the 'Aliens' and 'Predators' film series which, while only moderately successful at the Box Office, is still held in high regard amongst certain sections of the fanbase. Suffices to say, these are big shoes to fill.
As far as the executive decisions are concerned, 20th Century Fox seems to have hit the nail on the head. Black boasts of a considerable resume, and his supporting role in the original 1987 film is sure to give him an inside perspective of the franchise that arguably no other director can provide. Black also penned the script for the reboot alongside Fred Dekker (Night of the Creeps, The Monster Squad). John Davis returns as producer from the first three installments, and Lawrence Gordon serves as executive producer.
'The Predator' premieres in theaters on September 14.